The walls of Jericho, were very strong and stout.
The story of the Battle of Jericho is told to the tune of
"Farmer in the Dell." Youngsters will learn about God's
power as they enjoy the musical rhyming of the words.
Recommended for ages 2 to 4.

How do you think the wicked kings of Canaan felt when they heard
the God of Israel had dried up the swollen Jordan River so His people could go
through on dry land? The Bible tells us, “Their hearts melted and there was no
spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.” They must have
wondered what would happen next! The Israelites were camped at Gilgal across
from Jericho, but God was not ready for them to march against Jericho yet. He
wanted them to remember Him again in the special ways He had given their
fathers. There in the plains of Jericho they kept the feast of the Passover. And
that day they ate food from the land instead of the manna which had fallen
during their wanderings in the wilderness.

Joshua must have wondered how they would ever capture the city of Jericho. Maybe
he could even see its thick stone walls from their camp. How would he ever get
enough men inside to take it over? They had no battering rams or any other
weapons strong enough to break through its walls. Joshua knew one thing for
sure, though - - if God fought for them, no walls in the world were strong
enough to stop them.

Joshua had sent spies into Jericho to get information before they crossed the
Jordan. When the king tried to capture the spies, a woman named Rahab hid them
under flax stalks on her roof.

Before they lay down, Rahab came up to the roof and said, “I know that the Lord
has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us . . . for the
Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.” Not only had
the people of Jericho heard what happened at the Jordan River - - they also knew
how God had divided the Red Sea. And everyone was afraid.

The king had locked the gates to trap the spies inside Jericho, and Rahab
offered to help them escape on one condition - - when the city fell, she and her
family would be saved alive. The spies agreed to do this, then she let them down
by a rope through a window. Since her house was on the outside of the wall, they
could get away and run back to the camp at Gilgal. Before they left, however,
they told Rahab to hang a scarlet cord from that same window so the army of the
Israelites would not hurt them.

The spies had good news for Joshua. “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land
into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted
because of us.”

The king of Jericho shut up all the gates so no one could go out or come in.
Then God told Joshua exactly how to capture Jericho, commanding, “You shall
march around the city . . . you shall go all around the city once. This you
shall do for six days.” On the seventh day they marched around the same way
seven times, but on the seventh time, everyone would shout and the walls would
fall down.

In the march, the soldiers would come first, followed by seven priests blowing
on trumpets made from rams’ horns. Next would come the ark of the covenant, with
the rest of the people last. And, except for the priests blowing their trumpets,
nobody was to say a word.

What do you think the people of Jericho thought? They could look out from the
wall and see this strange parade - - day after day, silent except for the
blowing of the priests’ trumpets. What was going to happen?

On the seventh day they found out. The Israelites started about daylight that
day, going around six times instead of one time as they had done before. On
their seventh round, Joshua commanded them, “Shout, for the Lord has given you
the city!”

The Bible says when “the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell
down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him,
and they took the city.” But they saved Rahab and her family alive.

Talking it Over:

1. Talk about what the Feast of the Passover was supposed to mean to the
Israelites. What had just happened to make their faith in God even stronger?
2. As far as we know, God had never spoken to Rahab’s nation. Yet she had faith
in His power. Why? How can people who do not have the Bible today know there is
a Creator of love and power? (See Roman 1:20)
3. What would happen if an army today tried to use rams’ horn trumpets to win a
war? Why did they work for the Israelites at Jericho? What are our weapons
against Satan?

Memory Verse:

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven
days.” Hebrews 11:30
Talk about how all the people - - Joshua, Rahab and the Israelites - - showed
faith at Jericho.

CreditsText by Betty Belue Haynes, originally published in Bible Talk Times.
Used here with the kind permission of the author. Users are free to reproduce
for use, but not for publication.

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